Narrative

In March 1999 I found myself wedged in a sandy chimney, fully-gripped and trembling, five hundred feet off the deck.

Me and my partner Scott were attempting to climb The Thunderbird Wall, a grade VI backcountry behemoth in Zion National Park’s Kolab Canyon. The face, which is among the highest sandstone walls in the world, had only been climbed twice since Jeff Lowe and Cactus Bryan made the first attempt in 1971. Scott had been to Zion once before. I had never stood in a pair of aiders. In hindsight, I can only blame the ignorance of youth for leading me to believe I had any business being on The Thunderbird Wall.

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The upper reaches of the initial objective; a new route on the Father and Son’s wall, eerily alive and ultimately ruled out of condition in favor of the ultra classic Cassin Ridge. Photo: Aaron Kurland

A brief lull of confidence inspiring weather at the base of the Cassin Ridge. Go time. Photo: Aaron Kurland

Committing in the eye of the storm. The view back towards the top of the Japanese couloir from the Cassin Legge (1st bivy), after much debate about committing past the point of no return in an unsettled forecast with minimal provisions. Photo: Aaron Kurland

Down the rabbit hole and pursuing an alpine dream. Approaching the Cassin via the West Rib. Positive vibes.

Stepping off the knife edge ridge, into the knight, and onto the hanging glacier. We soon were pinned down at the base of the first rock band (in the distance). Photo: Aaron Kurland

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Narrative

In June 2017, Aaron Kurland and Sam Novey planned to attempt the formidable and rarely-climbed Father and Sons wall on Denali, but when they found the face to be out of condition, they quickly turned their attention elsewhere.

The duo settled on the ultra-classic Cassin Ridge, a 9,000 foot spine of ice, snow and granite that snakes it’s way directly up the center of the south face. With a big storm scheduled to hit within the week, the duo planned a 3 day alpine-style ascent. Little did they know, they would soon be at the mercy of Denali’s weather, totally exposed, and fully committed on the Cassin.

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Narrative

A few weeks ago I got to sit down with outdoor educator and host of the excellent ‘Sharp End’ podcast, Ashley Saupe. We talked about her upbringing in Alaska, her experiences teaching as an Outward Bound instructor as well as discussing what it takes to produce a monthly podcast about accidents in North American climbing.

On today’s episode, we’ll get to know Alaskan alpinist Sam Johnson. Growing up in the foothills of the Chugach Mountains, Sam was exposed to the outdoors and mountain environments at a young age. But it wasn’t until his teenage years that he discovered a newfound focus and direction thru climbing.

Since that time, Johnson has climbed extensively Alaska, Canada, Europe and even the far reaches of the Karakoram. His quiet first ascents in Alaska’s Hayes Range, including a bold solo on the South East Face of Mount Hayes in 2013, highlight the spirit of adventure and self discovery that Sam seeks in climbing, and in life.

I recently sat down with Sam to talk about his trajectory as an alpinist, as well as the things that inspire him on a day to day basis.

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On this episode of Short Ropes, we revisit my conversation with legendary Alaskan alpinist Carl Tobin (See episode 11). Tobin’s climbs in Alaska’s remote Hayes Range raised the bar for hard alpine climbing in North America in the late 70’s and early 80’s. His climb up the Valdez test piece “Wowie Zowie” is an honest grade 6 ice climb, and was way ahead of it’s time when he made the first ascent in 1981 with the late Andy Embick. In this episode, Carl and I talk about the early days in Fairbanks, his relationship with the enigmatic alpinist Johnny Waterman as well as surviving a deadly avalanche in the Hayes Range in 1984.

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On today’s episode, we’ll get to know legendary Alaskan alpinist Carl Tobin. With an alpine career that has spanned over 40 years, Tobin continues to be a force in Alaska’s climbing community to this day.

In the late 70’s and early 80’s, Tobin and a small group of committed partners, pioneered a number of first ascents in Alaska’s Hayes Range including the east face of Hess Mountain, the northeast face of peak 10,910′ and the historic east ridge of Mount Deborah. These climbs set the standard for hard alpine climbing in Alaska, and in doing so, inspired generations of climbers that would follow.

This last spring, I sat down with Carl at his home in Anchorage, to talk about his early days in Fairbanks, and the whirlwind years in the mountains that followed. Carl seemed wistful that day, as he recounted his years spent climbing in Alaska, the Canadian Rockies and the Himalaya. But it wasn’t just the climbing that had him thinking. It was also the important relationships he’d forged along the way.

I first came up with the idea to do The Firn Line in September 2016 – really not that long ago when you think about it. I think the truth is that i’d always wanted to somehow combine my love for the mountains with my creative pursuits. I just wasn’t sure how to do it. I guess you could say I had a light bulb moment when I realized that I could combine my passion for storytelling, the mountains, and music all into one creative outlet. Nine months and ten episodes in, I guess you could say I haven’t looked back.

My goal from the get-go was to create a podcast that I would have wanted to listen to back when climbing was the only thing that mattered to me. I’ve thought back to all the endless nights sitting around campfires with friends, all the soggy drives to go ice climbing in Valdez, and all the storm days I whittled away in tents, counting the squares in the ripstop fabric. Back then, I would have loved to have had a podcast like the firn line to listen to.

So as I look back today at the beginning stages of this podcast, or rather, this community, I wanted to share “mixtape” from The Firn Line episodes. Some of these moments are light-hearted, while others are pretty heavy. But like every Firn Line episode you hear, all the clips are genuine, in the moment, and real.

Finding truth in the Revelation Mountains

Clint Helander left home at 18 years old, hoping to escape a tense relationship with his mother, and to start finding his own way thru life. When he came to Alaska a year later to attend college, a chance encounter with a new group of friends would expose Clint to the outdoors, and eventually lead him to the mythical Revelation Mountains. Little did he know that along the way, he’d learn more about the importance of relationships with his friends, and ultimately his mother, than he ever could have imagined.